Biography

His cookery show 'Clemens Wilmenrod bittet zu Tisch' was broadcast from February 20, 1953 to May 16, 1964 on the WDR West German Television network.

Pioneer of the TV cooking shows. Although the genre was not a worldwide novelty, he was the first of his kind in Germany. His popularity even went so far that whenever he introduced a recipe, the main ingredients were sold out for days.

Clemens Wilmenrod was pioneering the TV cooking show. The actor became a huge success in 1950s West Germany - even if he didn't actually know how to cook.

Wilmenrod is credited to be inventor of the Toast Hawaii (a slice of toast with a pineapple ring, baked with cheese and topped with a single cherry), the "Arabian Horsemen Meat" and the "stuffed strawberry". He is also credited with making the Rumtopf popular in Southern and Western Germany, and with introducing turkey as a typical Christmas dinner.

In one memorable incident, after being accused by a viewer of not having invented the "stuffed strawberry" himself, Wilmenrod put a long kitchen knife against his chest and swore to kill himself if a single viewer can prove to have eaten a stuffed strawberry before.